Nothing says ‘vicious hunter’ quite like loudly watching a pigeon from the comfy vantage point of a sofa and hitting yourself in the eyeball repeatedly with your own tail
Simply devastated that this now has 13,000 notes and no-one knows that my little idiot cat is named Poo
Adventures of Tater: he met Filly the horse (both animals took it well; while Tater was unsure he wasn’t stressed in the interaction and Filly mildly interested in the strange small creature — neither were in any danger.)
Ovis canadensis “Bighorn Sheep” Bovidae, male, 3 years old
Wild Horse Island, Flathead Lake, MT September 27, 1961 col. Wesley Woodgerd (photo Robert Niese)
Bighorn Sheep were first transplanted to Wild Horse Island in 1939 and, from a herd of only 8 breeding adults, the population grew to be more than 200 strong. By the 60s and 70s, when Wesley Woodgerd was studying their herds, the maximum number of sheep recorded on the island at one time exceeded 240 individuals. This deformed young male was born around a time when the herd was likely suffering greatly from inbreeding depression which may have contributed to its odd schnoz. Alternatively, without any predators on the island, perhaps this individual was injured at a young age and managed to survive and develop this malformity from its wounds. Learn more about the Wild Horse Island Bighorn Sheep here.
